Two New Voices 2006 projects have won prestigious journalism awards!
ChicagoTalks
was named the winner in the Student Category from the Investigative Reporters and Editors. The series, called “Public Payroll, Family Affairs: Aldermen Keep It Relative” by Allison Riggio and Hunter Clauss, was published in 2007 in both CreatingCommunityConnections.org and the Beachwood Reporter. A six-month investigation of payroll records and hiring practices revealed that at least six of Chicago’s 50 City Council members employed relatives on their publicly funded ward staffs. The IRE judges wrote, “After its genesis as a class project at Columbia College in Chicago, this story grew into an interesting expose of nepotism in city government. These student reporters used public records requests and numerous phone calls to identify relatives of city council members who are on the public payroll. Persistence and aggressiveness overcame the obstacle of not being taken seriously by some sources. Both the writing and the sourcing are clear. The importance to readers is high.”
Great Lakes Wiki was among the top three student-produced online news reports in the nation by the Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ’s annual Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. Michigan State University students Andy Balaskovitz, John Allison & Ian Walker were named national finalists in the in-depth online reporting category for their work on “Pine River Superfund Site.” Their investigation details the history and current condition of the environmentally plagued Pine River in St. Louis, Michigan, where Michigan Chemical (now Velsicol) operated a plant. A producer of both DDT and PBB, the company dumped pollution and toxic waste in the river.
Also…
Two of the movers and shakers at GreaterFultonNews.org were named among the “40 people to Watch under 40” for 2008 by Style Weekly of Richmond, Va. Congratulations to GFN co-creator Annette Cousins and blogger John Murden.
